Rep. John Yarmuth called President Donald Trump's calls for the U.S. attorney general to stop the special investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 election an "obstruction of justice."

Trump tweeted Wednesday that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller and Attorney General Jeff Sessions are being unfair in their investigation.

"This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further," Trump tweeted. "Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!"

Yarmuth, the lone Democrat among Kentucky's six congressional representatives and a fierce critic of the Trump administration, said he was disappointed in the president's behavior.

“I’m sure we will soon find out what has President Trump so panicked, but he is clearly trying to interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation," Yarmuth told the Courier Journal in a statement. "That is obstruction of justice.”

Spokespeople for Kentucky's Republican representatives and senators either declined to comment or did not immediately return a request.

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President Donald Trump is calling for an end to the Russia investigation. Veuer's Sam Berman has the full story.
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Trump's comments Wednesday are reminiscent of the Richard Nixon presidency during the Watergate scandal when he asked Attorney General Elliott Richardson to have Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox fired. Richardson, under pressure, resigned.

“When the president does it, that means it’s not illegal,” Nixon said to television interviewer David Frost in 1977 regarding the Watergate scandal.

While Kentucky's Republican delegation was silent, some Republican groups were quick to call out the president's comments.

Republicans for Rule of Law, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, said Trump's tweets harken back to the Nixon-era.

"Demands for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference is an attack on the rule of law by our President," executive director Sarah Longwell told the Courier Journal. "History reminds us how firing the special counsel would hurt the president, GOP, and the country. Republicans need to come together and protect his investigation."